Sports / Local
Fans baffled by Amini snub
16 Dec 2015 at 08:07hrs | Views
HIGHLANDERS' fans have expressed both anger and disappointment at the news that interim coach Amini Soma-Phiri will not be confirmed despite leading the Bulawayo giants to the Easycall Cup glory and a respectable finish in the league.
The Bosso executive is keen on bringing in a relatively unknown Dutchman Erol Akbay, who was in the country for talks last month and took the club's Under-19 side through their paces before watching the senior team's league match against Buffaloes at Barbourfields Stadium.
Soma-Phiri and his technical team of Cosmas "Tsano" Zulu and Melusi "Mabaleka" Sibanda beat the country's top three teams in 2015 on their way to lifting the club's first major silverware since the Mbada Diamonds Cup victory in 2013.
Under Soma-Phiri, Bosso beat FC Platinum, Dynamos and Chicken Inn to win the Easycall Cup and finished the season on sixth position in the league. Soma-Phiri took over a limping side that was languishing on 11th position on the league table in September.
Bosso supporters were excited by the prospects of Soma-Phiri being appointed head coach next season given the commendable job he did in helping return the feel-good factor at Bosso again after a disastrous start to the season.
Highlanders' chief executive officer Ndumiso Gumede has dashed any hopes of Soma-Phiri and his team taking charge of the Bosso dugout next season, saying it would be folly for the club's executive to accede to the fans' demands that Soma-Phiri be given the job despite exceeding the mandate he was given when appointed to replace Bongani Mafu in September.
Highlanders' vice-chairman Mgcini Mpofu further torched flames on Monday night when he concurred with Gumede that the club was looking beyond Soma-Phiri.
"Amini has done well, but not good enough. We want a foreign coach to help link the club and players to European clubs. Negotiations are at an advance stage," Mpofu said.
This infuriated fans who accused the executive of instilling a sense of optimism only to snatch it away. Some now fear the worst next season saying the wheels may come off as the foreign coach tries to establish a rapport and adapt to local football.
The fans took to social media to vent their rage at the news and here is a round-up of their comments:
Nodumo Nyathi: "Surely it doesn't make sense. Wasn't it noble to make a decision after the season ends, especially knowing that some of the Dutch coaches were interviewed just a month or so back? Honestly speaking, this is bad and in as much as I was worried too about Amini, he has proved beyond doubt that he can deliver. He doesn't even need to be an assistant of this Dutch guy, but must be the head coach."
Khangelani Moyo: "That coach must be exceptional rather than some unknown coach trying their luck with Highlanders."
Nkululeko Maduma Fuzwayo: "Bringing a new person should depend on the credentials of such a coach, but judging from where we're coming from, it would have been better to allow the current technical team to take us through next season. They have helped the team get back its self-belief again and it would have been prudent not to lose the momentum."
Mlondolozi Ndlovu: "As fans, it makes us wonder what type of coach they want. Is it one who will take us further into the murky waters of relegation or someone who brought glory like what Soma-Phiri and Tsano did? This is the same mistake they made with Kelvin Kaindu and we will regret next season."
Faith Silandulo Dube: "I think Amini has done more than is required to deserve the position and on the basis of achievement, he deserves it. Remember when he came in, there was a general sentiment that he does not have experience at PSL level as a coach, but circumstances have since changed and there is no more reasonable basis to vindicate that opinion. The other advantage is that he knows a lot of the boys and perfectly understands the teams based in Bulawayo. Next season there would be 24 points from the Bulawayo derbies alone and I believe Khazeni (Soma-Phiri) will be a perfect architect. A foreign coach, sponsored or otherwise, will come at a huge price."
Msongelwa Ndlovu: "I honestly feel that Amini and Tsano have done enough to lay claim to the job. Initially I was one of the many who thought their appointment was a joke, but they proved me and many others wrong. So from a supporters' view, they deserve the appointment, provided they have the requisite qualifications. However, it is also necessary to respect the executive to make the decisions as mandated by the Bosso constitution. If the executive was good enough to appoint Amini even against my personal wish initially, they must be good enough to make the right decision this time around. But I think they should not make Amini an assistant if they choose a foreign coach as that will create two centres of power. Either they give him the job or deploy him elsewhere."
Mxolisi Marcus Ngwenya: "I for one stand with the Highlanders' executive in this case. A big institution like Bosso cannot be run by knee-jerk decisions. Winning a three stage cup is not enough to bend club procedure and protocol. We have become too desperate as a club that we now almost fall for anything. Enough respect to Soma-Phiri, thanks for the cup, but personally I think we need someone with depth."
The Bosso executive is keen on bringing in a relatively unknown Dutchman Erol Akbay, who was in the country for talks last month and took the club's Under-19 side through their paces before watching the senior team's league match against Buffaloes at Barbourfields Stadium.
Soma-Phiri and his technical team of Cosmas "Tsano" Zulu and Melusi "Mabaleka" Sibanda beat the country's top three teams in 2015 on their way to lifting the club's first major silverware since the Mbada Diamonds Cup victory in 2013.
Under Soma-Phiri, Bosso beat FC Platinum, Dynamos and Chicken Inn to win the Easycall Cup and finished the season on sixth position in the league. Soma-Phiri took over a limping side that was languishing on 11th position on the league table in September.
Bosso supporters were excited by the prospects of Soma-Phiri being appointed head coach next season given the commendable job he did in helping return the feel-good factor at Bosso again after a disastrous start to the season.
Highlanders' chief executive officer Ndumiso Gumede has dashed any hopes of Soma-Phiri and his team taking charge of the Bosso dugout next season, saying it would be folly for the club's executive to accede to the fans' demands that Soma-Phiri be given the job despite exceeding the mandate he was given when appointed to replace Bongani Mafu in September.
Highlanders' vice-chairman Mgcini Mpofu further torched flames on Monday night when he concurred with Gumede that the club was looking beyond Soma-Phiri.
"Amini has done well, but not good enough. We want a foreign coach to help link the club and players to European clubs. Negotiations are at an advance stage," Mpofu said.
The fans took to social media to vent their rage at the news and here is a round-up of their comments:
Nodumo Nyathi: "Surely it doesn't make sense. Wasn't it noble to make a decision after the season ends, especially knowing that some of the Dutch coaches were interviewed just a month or so back? Honestly speaking, this is bad and in as much as I was worried too about Amini, he has proved beyond doubt that he can deliver. He doesn't even need to be an assistant of this Dutch guy, but must be the head coach."
Khangelani Moyo: "That coach must be exceptional rather than some unknown coach trying their luck with Highlanders."
Nkululeko Maduma Fuzwayo: "Bringing a new person should depend on the credentials of such a coach, but judging from where we're coming from, it would have been better to allow the current technical team to take us through next season. They have helped the team get back its self-belief again and it would have been prudent not to lose the momentum."
Mlondolozi Ndlovu: "As fans, it makes us wonder what type of coach they want. Is it one who will take us further into the murky waters of relegation or someone who brought glory like what Soma-Phiri and Tsano did? This is the same mistake they made with Kelvin Kaindu and we will regret next season."
Faith Silandulo Dube: "I think Amini has done more than is required to deserve the position and on the basis of achievement, he deserves it. Remember when he came in, there was a general sentiment that he does not have experience at PSL level as a coach, but circumstances have since changed and there is no more reasonable basis to vindicate that opinion. The other advantage is that he knows a lot of the boys and perfectly understands the teams based in Bulawayo. Next season there would be 24 points from the Bulawayo derbies alone and I believe Khazeni (Soma-Phiri) will be a perfect architect. A foreign coach, sponsored or otherwise, will come at a huge price."
Msongelwa Ndlovu: "I honestly feel that Amini and Tsano have done enough to lay claim to the job. Initially I was one of the many who thought their appointment was a joke, but they proved me and many others wrong. So from a supporters' view, they deserve the appointment, provided they have the requisite qualifications. However, it is also necessary to respect the executive to make the decisions as mandated by the Bosso constitution. If the executive was good enough to appoint Amini even against my personal wish initially, they must be good enough to make the right decision this time around. But I think they should not make Amini an assistant if they choose a foreign coach as that will create two centres of power. Either they give him the job or deploy him elsewhere."
Mxolisi Marcus Ngwenya: "I for one stand with the Highlanders' executive in this case. A big institution like Bosso cannot be run by knee-jerk decisions. Winning a three stage cup is not enough to bend club procedure and protocol. We have become too desperate as a club that we now almost fall for anything. Enough respect to Soma-Phiri, thanks for the cup, but personally I think we need someone with depth."
Source - chronicle
